Wednesday, November 14, 2007

My Room (In Bogota)

I’ve lived in some of the best and worst of places. When I was going to college in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, I lived in an apartment that had a washer and dryer, leather sofas, big-screen television, a stereo-system built for clubs, and an all-glass, lobby rooftop. Since then I’ve lived quite modestly. After college, I moved to Aspen, Colorado, where I need not go into details so as to not scare my parents if they’re reading this. But I can say that the first room I rented had a queen-sized bed that touched three walls and took up half my room. Then I moved to the Cortina, a 16-room housing complex for employees at the Hotel Jerome. It was a block from the hotel and rent included all utilities for a whopping $183 a month, and probably the best deal in America considering the real estate prices in downtown Aspen are only for the super-rich and famous. Nevertheless, it was the “ghetto” of Aspen. I had no kitchen. I had to climb a ladder to get to my bed and would bump my head if I sat up.

However, it did pay off, literally. I then moved to Chicago, where I lived on State Street, just a short walk to Oak Street Beach, in the Gold Coast neighborhood. It was a pretentious neighborhood. The Playboy Mansion used to be just a block away. Oprah and other famous people owned places there. I lived on the 14th floor with a few of the Hancock Building and Lake Michigan. I moved two more times in Chicago, in average apartments near Wrigley Field.

Now, I’m in Chapinero, Bogota’s equivalent of the Gold Coast in Chicago. I live in a studio on the second floor with a few of the mountains. I’m on La Septima, a main road that is just a few minutes by bus to downtown. And the popular supermarket Carulla is just a block away. Dare say that I’m paying nearly double what many other foreign English teachers pay. My studio apartment is nice. My only complaint is that I don’t have an oven or stove. But hey, I’ve had worse.

7 comments:

Anonymous
said...

haha, we've had some good times we'll never remember in all those places... and columbia is next... At first i was a little concerned about the safety of Columbia... but then i though...what can be worse than sleeping under the same roof as a murderer? haha (I really appreciate you keeping that information to yourself until my plane landed only a short distance (2,000 miles) from home). haha you my boy blue you my boy...M. Wicker

Hahaha, well, I live alone now... although there is an old brother and sister that live on one side of my apartment and a very old lady on the other side. They are very quiet and courteous so watch out!

About Me

Through my love for travel and curiosity about interesting people and places, my dream in college of being the world's best sportswriter has changed. I grew up in Danbury, Conn., playing many sports. School was always second. In college I developed the love for reading and the confidence to write well. Since graduation I have driven across the U.S. I lived in Aspen for a year, where I carved tracks in fresh powder and wrote a book about a very inspirational man, “The Monk,” and then lived for almost four years in Chicago and a year in Bogotá. During this time I became a self-taught photojournalist. I am now living in Astoria, N.Y., where I am working on several independent projects that I'll explain when the time is right. Until then, thank you for visiting my blog. I welcome any feedback or comments.